Two Stylish Men Try On Menswear's Most Divisive Fabric

When we say that velvet is officially back in the menswear world, we know that most of your minds go right to Prince or Elton John, stylish men but also fearless OTT types who could pull off the fabric from head to toe. And while those guys are undoubtably cool, in the real world, wearing velvet doesn't have to be such a commitment.

You can slip velvet into your wardrobe in much more low-key ways, best executed with one single piece whether it's a jacket or pants or even shoes. Take for example the way that multitalented showman James Corden tried the trend on last night, by just slipping on a thin wale corduroy blazer over his monochromatic outfit of jeans and crewneck sweater. (For those who didn't know, corduroy is just velvet cut into textured strips). Because Corden is wearing all dark colors, adding a blazer this luxe makes his casual jeans and T-shirt look just that much more dressed up. Plus, this form of velvet helps introduce a little texture and is a subtle way to convey a little formality (after all, velvet tuxedos are the pinnacle of formal dressing). Think of if as the even more subdued and grown-up version of what The Weeknd and A$AP Rocky have been doing.

Then, for you rebels, there's Ian Mellencamp (nephew of John, because these days you only exists if you're related to an already-famous person) who went balls out and wore a cherry red, boxy-fit velvet T-shirt. Listen, Corden went low key but if you want to announce the fact that you know what the trends are, then there are worse ways to do it than literally wear it on your chest in the most attention-grabbing color out there.

Even though these two choices by these two stylish men (in their own ways) are on the opposite ends of the menswear spectrum, they're both solid options — it just depends on which type of guy you are, the look-at-me type or the understated cool type. Either way, make your choice and wear it with confidence.